Mental health nurse abused power for sexual intercourse

A BARNSLEY mental health nurse who preyed on ‘vulnerable’ patients to pursue sexual relationships has been given a temporary restraining order to ‘protect the public’ and is set to be struck off the Nursing and Midwifery Council register.

Paul Philip Millward, a registered mental health nurse, was the subject of a misconduct hearing by the Nursing and Midwifery Council between 21 October and 30 October.

Millward reportedly took advantage of the sensitivity of two patients, referred to as ‘Patient A and Patient B’, and had sexual intercourse with them.

The report states: “Between July 15 and September 8, 2022, the Clinic violated professional boundaries with Patient A on one or more occasions by visiting Patient A at his home and/or workplace after hours without cause.

“He communicated with Patient A via text message outside working hours.

“His actions were sexually motivated as he was seeking a sexual relationship.

“His actions were motivated by knowledge of Patient A’s vulnerability.”

Between November 2020 and November 2021, Millward went to Patient B’s home and even threatened to discharge them from treatment if they did not comply with his wishes.

He often talked about sex with Patient B and encouraged them to undress for him, saying he “liked her curves.”

The report added: “The Panel was of the view that the allegations relating to Patients A and B showed a pattern of behavior that was strikingly similar.

“This includes the vulnerable location of service users, their gender, broad appearance, use of personal phones for communication, blurring of professional boundaries, gift-giving and invitations to attend social events outside of work.

“These factors, together with your partial admissions, the existence of relevant contemporaneous notes and the manner in which Patient B’s statement was taken, led the panel to attach significant weight to this evidence.

“The panel considered Patient B’s text message dated 16 November 2021, in which he described the behavior towards him as generally disgusting.

“Patient B also stated that he would not have gone on social outings if he had known they were taking place outside working hours.

“She also stated that she was ‘sick’ by various inappropriate comments made to her and that they made her feel ‘dirty’ and ‘sexualised’ and that she lost her dignity.

“This led to Patient B being withdrawn from his treatment and prevented from contacting him.”

Millward was given an 18-month temporary restraining order and will be struck from the record unless he appeals.

The report included the following statements: “The panel issued an interim restraining order for a period of 18 months in order to protect the public during the period of any potential appeal and to pursue the public interest in other matters.

“The panel determined that not issuing an interim order would be inconsistent with its previous decisions.

“If no objection is made, the temporary restraining order will be replaced by a permanent deletion decision.”

A spokesperson for South West Yorkshire Partnership NHS Foundation Trust told the Chronicle: “The safety of all the service users and patients we support and care for is very important to us.

“We will not tolerate any unacceptable behavior that puts anyone at risk or makes them feel uncomfortable in our care.

“When concerns were raised about this case we immediately launched an investigation and took swift action to dismiss the individual and provide support to everyone affected.

“This is also reflected in the NMC findings.

“We continue to do everything we can to protect and protect those we care about.”